Sweden and France: Turning a Blind Eye to Racism

Cassie Rodgers is our latest intern from Colby College, currently studying abroad through the Boston University London Internship Program. With all our interns, we seek to give them front-line opportunity to write, and help with campaigns that inform and empower.

Cassie’s first task has been not just to look that the new data that suggests hate crime, particularly towards Muslims has undergone a sharp increase, but also juxtapose it with those countries such as Sweden and France who take a ‘colour blind’ approach . This article gives an insight into the negative drift occurring here whilst highlighting the importance of such data. We look forward to many more interesting articles from Cassie. Well done.

Simon Woolley

Across the globe there have been countless racial, gender or religion based struggles, each emerging issue being handled in a variety of ways. Some of these issues have been addressed more successfully than others. Here in the UK, progress has been made to close the gap between race, gender and religion, but recent statistics clearly demonstrate that there is still much to be done.

Recent Gov figures released last week show that hate crimes have risen an immense 18%, now reaching an unacceptable grand total of 52,528 hate crimes within the last year. Statistics can be further isolated, demonstrating that anti-Muslim hate crimes in particular have reached new heights, with religious hate crimes rising 45% in 2013/2014 and again mounting in reaction to the murder of the off duty British army soldier, 25 year old Lee Rigby. These statistics make depressing reading to many, who have witnessed over the last decade racial inequality and hatred become worse not better.

However, uncomfortable as these statistics are, they do identify a racial and religious concern in Britain, which in turn puts pressure on the government and its officials to act. This is something that does not exist in some countries, specifically Sweden and France. These countries neither acknowledge the need to have citizens identify by race nor the need to record existing racial divides.

France denies the need for racial statics, emphasizing that it is a country based on republican values, in which France has wide spread colour-blindness and is all together indivisible. France believes that by removing any governmental use of race and promoting widespread colour-blindness that the racial divide itself will be nonexistent, but instead they are simply turning a blind eye to the problem.

Furthermore, by denying the right to statistically analyze the population according to race, no concrete evidence of the problem can be shown to either the government or population to promote change. The same is to be said of Sweden.

Yet, these countries do not lack individuals championing the need for statistics. France has had leaders such as Nicolas Sarkozy and Yazid Sabeg, who have made a big push for statistics, but unfortunately have been blocked in policy making. In Sweden there is the Minister for Culture and Democracy, Alice Bah Kuhnkes, but she also has met immense opposition and faces the difficulty of tackling an expansive issue within her limited time in office.

As demonstrated by the recent emergence of hate crime statistics, statistics provide concrete proof of existing issues, resulting in a call to respond, either socially or politically.

Due to the hate crime statistics in Britain, the issue was brought to the attention of David Cameron, Karen Bradley and the National Police force. Karen Bradley came out with a statement saying:

Crimes motivated by hatred or hostility towards someone because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender-identification or because they are disabled are absolutely abhorrent. This government will do everything to eradicate them.”

Furthermore, the more specific anti-Muslim statistics have resulted in efforts by the Prime Minister to collaborate with religious representatives, for example the hosting of the first new Community Engagement Forum at Downing Street.

David Cameron, Home Secretary Theresa May and other officials argue their desire is to end the demonization of the Muslim faith. These reactions and efforts are direct results of the accumulated racial statics and thus, the benefits of racial statics cannot be denied. Countries that deny the need, such as Sweden and France, are simply promoting the continuance of racial inequality through their sustained blind eye and delusional beliefs that inequality will fix itself.

Cassie Rodgers